Green Hydrogen: Drawing Energy from Industry Leaders

As net zero pledges make their way to the top of corporate priority lists, industry leaders are setting their sights on clean-burning hydrogen as a new ally in the decarbonization quest. Today, hydrogen comprises just a small fraction of global energy use, but recent announcements suggest growth. The location technology already used in adjacent industries could accelerate the efficiency needed for hydrogen’s ramp-up. Article snapshot: Hydrogen could meet nearly a quarter of the world’s energy needs by 2050, but producing green hydrogen will be costly if producers don’t learn from energy industry peers. In June, the United States Department of Energy announced an ambitious goal to expand the hydrogen industry within the next decade—and clean it up, since 95 percent of today’s hydrogen is produced from fossil fuels. (See the sidebar below for distinctions among gray, blue, and green hydrogen.) The announcement echoes similar action around the world, including recent initiatives from a Eu

As net zero pledges make their way to the top of corporate priority lists, industry leaders are setting their sights on clean-burning hydrogen as a new ally in the decarbonization quest. Today, hydrogen comprises just a small fraction of global energy use, but recent announcements suggest growth. The location technology already used in adjacent industries could accelerate the efficiency needed for hydrogen’s ramp-up. Article snapshot: Hydrogen could meet nearly a quarter of the world’s energy needs by 2050, but producing green hydrogen will be costly if producers don’t learn from energy indust